Crimes of Wang Xinhua, Head of the “Anti-Cult Unit” of the Yunnan Provincial Public Security Department, in Persecuting Falun Gong

(Minghui.org) Twenty-four years after the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began persecuting Falun Gong in 1999, practitioners from 44 countries submitted a new list of perpetrators to their respective governments in advance of Human Rights Day, December 10, 2023, urging them to hold these individuals accountable for the persecution of Falun Gong in China. The practitioners asked their governments to bar the perpetrators and their family members from entry and to freeze their overseas assets.

Among the perpetrators listed was Wang Xinhua, head of the “Anti-Cult Unit” of the Yunnan Provincial Public Security Department.

Perpetrator Information

Full Name of Perpetrator: Wang (last name) Xinhua (first name) (王新华)Gender: MaleCountry: ChinaDate/Year of Birth: May 1964Place of Birth: Unknown

Wang Xinhua

Title or Position

December 2018 – Present: head of the Anti-Cult Unit of the Yunnan Provincial Public Security BureauMay 2017 – November 2018: deputy director of the Provincial Office for Preventing and Dealing with Cult Issues (610 Office)April 2016: director of the Office of Preventing and Dealing with Cult Issues of the Yunnan Provincial People’s GovernmentFormer positions: deputy secretary-general of the Standing Committee of the Chuxiong Prefecture People’s Congress; deputy secretary of the Shuangbai County Party Committee and secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee; deputy secretary-general and office director of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Chuxiong Prefecture

Major Crimes

Since the Chinese Communist Party began persecuting Falun Gong in 1999, the Yunnan Provincial Political and Legal Affairs Committee (PLAC) and the 610 Office have vigorously implemented Jiang Zemin’s (former CCP leader) persecution policies of “defame their [practitioners’] reputation, bankrupt them financially, and destroy them physically.”

Under the directives from the PLAC and 610 Office, the police arrest and detain the practitioners before sending them to labor camps or prisons. Some practitioners were also taken to psychiatric hospitals and subjected to drug administration. While in custody, the practitioners faced forcible brainwashing and physical torture, including force-feeding, electric shocks, having bamboo sticks inserted into their nails, or being forced to sit on a small stool for long hours without moving.

Other than the physical and mental torment, the practitioners also faced financial devastation, including wrongful termination from work, suspension of their pension, or having their homes raided and personal properties confiscated.

Wang Xinhua, who was a member of the Yunnan Province 610 Office since 2010, played a significant role in the widespread persecution in the province. He became the deputy director of the Provincial 610 Office in April 2016, before assuming the role of the head of the Anti-Cult Office of the Provincial Public Security Department at the end of 2018.

In 2017, the Yunnan Provincial PLAC and the 610 Office carried out a so-called “Special Battle against Falun Gong” prior to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the China Organ Transplant Conference held in Kunming City on August 4 and 5, 2017. At least 36 practitioners in Kunming were arrested or harassed and 24 were indicted or sentenced.

On April 19, 2018, Wang, as the deputy director of the provincial 610 Office, led a team to Zhaotong County to supervise the “anti-cult” work. He demanded the local government to “increase [anti-Falun Gong] propaganda promotion,” “carry out in-depth education and transformation work” and “increase the efforts to arrest the practitioners.”

On November 24, 2021, Wang, now the head of the Anti-Cult Office of the Yunnan Provincial Public Security Department, visited the Yangjie Police Station in Yuanmou County to review grassroots-level “anti-cult” work. Discussions were focused on how to enable the police to organize and execute more anti-cult activities, particularly targeting Falun Gong practitioners.

On the morning of April 14, 2023, on the occasion of the “Eighth National Security Education Day,” the Yunnan Provincial Public Security Department, in collaboration with the Anti-Cult Corps and the Kunming Municipal Domestic Security Office, held a ceremony at the Legal Culture Plaza in Haikou Street, Xishan District, Kunming City. The event, titled “Anti-Cult Education into Rural Communities,” was attended by Wang.

Overview of the Persecution Over the Years

In 2016, 20 practitioners were arrested, 27 were harassed, and 18 were detained. Another 19 practitioners were tried or sentenced.

In Luxi County of Honghe Prefecture, between October and December 9, 2016, over 30 practitioners were arrested and their homes ransacked. This operation was carried out by members of the Domestic Security Office, local police stations, and street and village committees. After being taken to various police stations, the practitioners were subjected to interrogations and forced to sign the case documents. One of the practitioners was detained for ten days.

From 2017 to 2019, the persecution resulted in the deaths of three practitioners: Mr. Liao Jianfu, Mr. Zhang Shining, and Ms. Xia Meixian. Additionally, 64 practitioners were sentenced, 136 were arrested, and 91 had their homes ransacked.

On the evening of August 27, 2019, officers from the Songyang, Yangqiao, and Yanglin Police Stations under the Songming County Domestic Security Office went door to door, searching the homes of Falun Gong practitioners. If any item related to Falun Gong was found, the practitioners would be taken into custody. The practitioners’ family members were also interrogated during these raids.

On the afternoon of December 11, 2018, Mr. Qiu An was arrested by officers from the Xiaobanqiao Police Station in Guandu District, Kunming City. This incident occurred after he distributed to customers in his cellphone store a card explaining how to circumvent China’s firewall and a pamphlet about Falun Gong. His home was ransacked. At the police station, Mr. Qiu was beaten by the police, resulting in a fractured pelvis, broken ribs, and multiple soft tissue contusions. He was also repeatedly sprayed in the eyes with chili pepper water.

In 2020, 26 Falun Gong practitioners from Yunnan Province were sentenced, 68 were arrested, 51 had their homes ransacked, 45 were harassed, and 7 were held in brainwashing centers.

On the evening of September 29, 2020, 74-year-old Mr. Zhang Xingyu and his family of ten, including his two-year-old granddaughter, were arrested at home. The police broke into and ransacked their home. They interrogated and detained the family overnight at two police stations, and did not let them return home until 10 p.m. the next day. The police arrested the family again on October 5, this time without his daughter-in-law and granddaughter, and took them to a brainwashing center in Luquan County.

In 2021, the deaths of 11 Falun Gong practitioners were reported, 6 were sentenced, 33 were arrested, 56 were harassed, 29 had their homes ransacked, and 12 had their pensions withheld.

In 2022, two practitioners died in the persecution, 27 were sentenced, 29 were arrested, 66 were harassed, and six had their homes ransacked.

Select Death Cases

Since 2017, at least 17 Falun Gong practitioners (Mr. Li Peigao, Mr. Han Junyi, Ms. Peng Xueping, Mr. Wu Guangcheng, Mr. Peng Yunkui, Ms. Zhang Gongqin, Ms. Ding Guiying, Ms. Wang Huizhen, Mr. Shi Jianwei, Mr. Li Zhichu, Mr. Zhang Lin, Ms. Deng Guiying, Mr. Liao Jianfu, Mr. Zhang Shining, Ms. Xia Meixian, Mr. Zhu Yandong, and Ms. Meng Yunying) were persecuted to death in Yunnan Province. Numerous others were arrested and sentenced. Below are select death cases.

Case 1: 86-year-old Man Dies Days Before Finishing Wrongful Prison Term for Practicing Falun Gong

Mr. Li Peigao from Kunming City, Yunnan Province died on January 4, 2023, days before he finished serving a four-year term for practicing Falun Gong. According to inmates who were released before him, Mr. Li had good health in the prison and it was shocking that he suddenly died, just days before he was to be released. He was 86.

Mr. Li was arrested on November 26, 2015, and sentenced to four years on October 8, 2016. He was taken to the Yunnan Province Prison to serve time in January 2019 and denied family visitation.

Case 2: Real Estate Company Executive Dies Three Months After Serving Five Years

Mr. Wu Guangcheng, a former real estate company executive, was very weak when he was released on April 6, 2022, after serving five years for practicing Falun Gong. The Kunming City, Yunnan Province resident slipped and fell on July 27 while using the restroom. He lost consciousness and died hours later. He was 63 years old.

Mr. Wu’s passing capped his two decades of suffering for upholding his faith. In addition to his latest 5-year term, he served two labor camp terms totaling 3 years, and a prison term of 6.5 years.

In addition to his own ordeal, his wife, Ms. Wang Deping, was also given two labor camp terms totaling five years, for practicing Falun Gong. Their son was traumatized by the persecution and developed a mental disorder. He is unable to work and stays at home all the time.

Case 3: 76-year-old Woman Suddenly Dies While Serving Time

Ms. Ding Guiying’s family was dealt a heavy blow when the Yunnan Province No. 2 Women’s Prison suddenly informed them in mid-January 2021 that their loved one had just passed away. Before that, Ms. Ding’s family didn’t even know she had been sentenced for upholding her faith in Falun Gong. The prison rushed to cremate her body days later. She was 76 years old.

Ms. Ding, a Kunming City, Yunnan Province resident, was arrested at home on August 28, 2019. As the Kunming City Detention Center had been barring Ms. Ding’s family from visiting her, and the authorities never updated them with her case status, they still thought she was in the detention center and often went to the Domestic Security Division to demand her release.

A guard from Yunnan Province No. 2 Women’s Prison informed them that Ms. Ding suddenly suffered “an acute disease” on January 14 and died at 8:53 a.m. on January 15. The prison cremated her body on January 19 without much explanation about her condition. As Ms. Ding had been perfectly healthy before her arrest, her family suspected that she may have died from the abuse in custody, not due to a disease, as claimed by the prison.

Only after Ms. Ding had passed away did her family receive her verdict. She was sentenced to four years by the Wuhua District Court on July 10, 2020.

Case 4: Mr. Shi Jianwei Tortured to Death and His Body Forcibly Cremated

Mr. Shi Jianwei was an English teacher in Binchuan County, Yunnan Province. He died at Yunnan Province First Prison while serving a 6.5-year term for his faith. He was 56. The prison claimed that Mr. Shi died of liver cancer. However, his family suspects he was tortured to death, given the bruising on his back and that there was no sign of liver cancer in his medical record. His body was cremated against his family’s will, a practice that is commonplace in what is believed to be an attempt to cover up evidence of torture and other abuses such as forced organ harvesting.

Case 5: Mr. Liao Jianfu Persecuted to Death in the Prison

Mr. Liao Jianfu, a Panzhihua City, Sichuan Province resident was arrested in October 2016 for putting up informational posters about Falun Gong. The authorities sentenced him to four years in Yunnan Province First Prison. He was transferred there in July 2018 and in less than nine months, he passed away.

Mr. Liao suffered high blood pressure in the prison, yet the guards still forced him to sit still for over 10 hours a day for three months. To put more pressure on him, the guards measured his blood pressure several times a day and even took him to a hospital for checkups. His family visited him twice and knew that his blood pressure was dangerously high and that he had blood clots in the brain. Their requests for medical parole were repeatedly denied. He died on the evening of March 19, 2019, at the age of 65.

Select Sentencing Cases

Case 1: 82-year-old Woman and 60-year-old Woman Sentenced to Prison

Ms. Gao Qiongxian, 82, and Ms. Wang Jin, 60, were arrested around October 27, 2020, by the Anning City Domestic Security Office. While Ms. Wang has been detained since Ms. Gao was released on 1,000-yuan bail due to her poor health. Both of them were indicted by the Xishan District Procuratorate in the same month.

The Xishan District Court held two separate trials of Ms. Gao and Ms. Wang on April 19, 2022. Ms. Gao was charged with practicing Falun Gong, distributing Falun Gong materials, and having the materials at home. As she was still in the probation period from an earlier 2017 term, the judge sentenced her to six years and fined her 13,000 yuan,

Ms. Wang was also charged with distributing Falun Gong Materials. The computer, printer, cellphone, and Falun Gong materials confiscated from her were all used as prosecution evidence. She was sentenced to three years with a 5,000 yuan fine.

Case 2: Former Elementary School Teacher Sentenced to Seven Years

Ms. Li Lingzhen, of Yuxi City and a former elementary school teacher in her 50s, was arrested on March 23, 2020, after being reported by security personnel for talking to people about Falun Gong in a mall. The police ransacked her home and confiscated her Falun Gong books, computer, and 20,000 yuan in cash.

Because the local detention center refused to accept her during the pandemic, she was released on bail. She was summoned to the procuratorate several times after that, but she refused to go and insisted she didn’t do anything wrong in practicing her faith.

The police broke into her home at night in early January 2021 and took her back into custody. When Ms. Li was tried in mid-May, a bailiff took her to the courtroom in a wheelchair. The judge sentenced her to seven years in prison.

Case 3: Once Imprisoned for 11 Years, Former Tennis Player Sentenced to 4 More Years for His Faith

Mr. Han Zhenkun, a 55-year-old former tennis player in Kunming City, was arrested in September 2019, while on a business trip to Jinghong City in the same province. The police targeted him after suspecting him of distributing Falun Gong informational materials. Mr. Han appeared in the Mengla County Court on July 31, 2020, and was sentenced to four years and fined 40,000 yuan.

Prior to his latest sentence, Mr. Han was imprisoned twice for a total of 11 years. He was forced to divorce his wife, Ms. Guo Juan, also a Falun Gong practitioner, because of the persecution. Both of his parents died in 2017 after their health declined from living in fear and enduring endless harassment, also for their faith in Falun Gong.

Case 4: 79-year-old Woman Sentenced to Three Years

Ms. Dong Yunxian, a 79-year-old retired employee of a sugar, tobacco, and alcohol company in Wenshan City, Yunnan Province, was arrested on June 30, 2020, for distributing Falun Gong materials. The Wenshan City Court informed her family on November 30 that she was scheduled to appear in court on December 1 through a video conference. She entered a not-guilty plea herself. The judge sentenced her to three years weeks after the hearing.

Case 5: Yunnan Woman Sentenced to Seven Years for Passing Out a Calendar

Ms. Gao Huixian, a 56-year-old Kunming resident, was arrested on December 7, 2018, after being reported for giving out a calendar with information about Falun Gong. The Xishan District Procuratorate approved her arrest on December 20, 2018. She appeared in Xishan District Court on October 22, 2019, and was sentenced to seven years on November 19, 2019.

Case 6: Yunnan Engineer Sentenced to Seven Years

Ms. He Lichun, a 46-year-old construction engineer of Qujing City, was arrested on August 23, 2017, after being reported for using banknotes printed with information about Falun Gong. She was strip-searched, interrogated, and abused in the police station. The bruises on her wrists, arms, left knee and right leg didn’t go away until months later. The Qilin District Court sentenced her to seven years in Yunnan Province No.2 Women’s Prison in 2018.